The Centre for Women and Child Rights and the Kautilya Centre for Law and Economics at National Law University (NLU), Tripura, in collaboration with the Directorate of Social Welfare and Social Education of Tripura government, hosted a national conference “From Vulnerability to Justice: Tackling Human Trafficking in Northeast India” on Saturday.

The inaugural gathering witnessed the presence of Tinku Roy, Minister, Social Welfare Department, Govt. of Tripura, who elaborated on the complex border dynamics with neighbouring countries, which make North-East India a vulnerable corridor for trafficking. He also mentioned that an anti-human trafficking team has been formed to prevent the human trafficking in the rural areas of Tripura.

Former High Court Justice Arindam Lodh,  Chairperson, State Human Rights Commission stressed on the importance of policy-making and the urgent need to secure India’s borders to curb human trafficking. His remarks highlighted the intersection of law, governance, and human rights. Smt. Jharna Debbarma Chairperson, Tripura Commission for Women (TCW) emphasized on the importance of awareness among the village women and children to curb the nuances of human trafficking in the state of Tripura.

The inaugural session was also graced by the presence of Mr. Tapan Kumar Das, Director, Directorate of Social Welfare and Social Education. In the beginning Prof. (Dr.) Yogesh Pratap Singh, Vice-Chancellor, National Law University, Tripura in his welcome speech stressed on the concern about human trafficking in Tripura as it is surrounded by Bangladesh on three sides.

He also emphasized the importance of education and policy making to stop human trafficking in Tripura. Forty-five research papers on various aspects related to trafficking from across India will be presented during this conference. Finally, Dr. Debasree Debnath, Director, Centre for Women and Child Rights concluded the inaugural session with a vote of thanks to all the dignitaries and participants.